International Students and Scholars Office

Form I-94

Form I-94 is the Arrival/Departure Record created by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon a nonimmigrant visitor's entry to the U.S. It is important to check your I-94 after you enter the U.S. to ensure that you have entered the U.S. in the correct immigration status. If you believe you have been entered in the wrong immigration status, please contact the ISSO.

Electronic Form I-94

If you are entering the U.S. by air or sea, both of the following should occur:

  1. The CBP officer should stamp your passport, indicating your date of entry and immigration status granted (such as: F-1 - D/S, J-1 - D/S). Please note, you may not get a stamp, as some U.S. Ports of Entry are discontinuing the use of entry stamps. 

  2. You should be issued an Electronic Form I-94, available on the CBP I-94 official website. Please check this website, make sure your arrival information is correct, and print the record. If you are having trouble locating your record, please see our Tips to Locate and Print Electronic I-94.

If you are entering the U.S. by land, you will now be issued an electronic Form I-94. 

If There is a Mistake on your Form I-94 or Passport Stamp

Your Form I-94 or passport stamp needs to contain certain information. Look for one of the following:

  1. For those entering in F-1 or J-1 (student or scholar) status, the Form I-94 and the stamp in your passport should have the notation "F-1 - D/S" or "J-1 - D/S." This indicates that you have been granted admission for "duration of status" (D/S). Duration of status means that as long as you are maintaining your F-1 or J-1 status, you may legally remain in the U.S. until the end of your academic program (as listed on your Form I-20 or Form DS-2019).

  2. For those entering in H-1B status, the stamp in your passport and/or Form I-94 should have a "valid until" date that corresponds to the ending date on the H-1B approval notice.

If your Form I-94 and/or passport stamp (if you have one) are not marked correctly according to your status, you can request a correction if you are still at the port of entry. Otherwise, if you do not notice a mistake while you are still at the port of entry, please come to the ISSO as soon as possible so that we can advise you on how to receive a correction.